Practice, they say, makes perfect. So, to become a good user of the Hausa language, you must practise often and deliberately. Moreover, the Hausa language is widely spoken in Nigeria, Africa, and other parts of the world. This means there are unlimited ways you can access the language.
Learning a new language is a form of education and it has its benefits. Therefore, it requires your effort and that you intentionally get something out of it. Parents can help children learn and practice the language with available materials just like they’ll help them with an English assignment.
Also, you can use different resources online and offline to practice between your Hausa lessons. And in this article, we’ll be showing you different practice methods that can be used to become better at the language.
Practice Methods for Learning the Hausa Language
Some of the essential things you may have been taught during your Hausa lessons are the alphabet, numbers, greetings, and other use of the Hausa language. All these might be volatile since it’s not your primary language, and you may forget some things you were taught.
To avoid these, there are different methods to practice Hausa grammar, vocabulary, and rules.
Also, there are materials and resources such as online videos, Apps, websites, books, songs and dictionaries that you can use during practice.
These are all educational resources and they are divided into two major parts:
Online Resources
This is a popular method used by people around the world these days to learn. The online world is filled with different helpful information. You might want to use it well to learn and practice the Hausa language in between your lessons.
There are many online videos relating to different Nigerian ethnic groups and languages. One of the significant tools to gain access to free online videos is YouTube. With this platform, you can get a sound education about the Hausa ethnic group, history, and traditional practices.
You can also learn from people with years of experience in the northern states of Nigeria, such as Kano, Sokoto, Kaduna, Abuja, etc. Also, there are different Hausa language e-books to explore. So, you can download books online in PDF formats if you’re not a fan of hard copies.
These e-books are usually free, except on some occasions where you have to pay for the ones that are not available for free.
Other online resources you can use when practising your Hausa include language apps and websites.
Some of the apps/websites you can use are:
- Duolingo
- Just learn
- Kabimba
- Hausa basic phrases
- Learn Hausa with audio
- Speak in Nigeria.
- U Lesson etc.
Most of these apps are usually free, and you need a smartphone and data connection to keep them running. There are also a few occasions where you might want to opt for premium services.
There are also free websites that you can use for your practice. Most of them even have the option of subscribing to their email list. With this, you could receive emails daily, weekly, or monthly. You can check some of them out online if you're a fan of emails.
Physical Resources
Reading physical books is a traditional mode of learning that is super effective, and a lot of Nigerian students use it most of the time. While some prefer online books, many prefer physical books because they feel closer to the book.
You can buy or get Hausa books in bookstores that will teach you new things and help you practice the language.
You can get books on the ethnic group, their culture, art, and food. Hausa dictionary is also something you should own for optimal learning.
When buying books, ensure they have sufficient practice exercises and explanations regarding different parts of the language. You can also ask your tutor or university lecturer for books recommendation.
Parents can seek books recommendation from teachers or tutors to buy for their children.
Practising Different Study Exercises
When it comes to practising, you must engage in study that can help you. Just like you would take your use of the English language serious, you should do the same for the new language you’re learning.
There are different websites and books that you can check for exercises on different areas of the language, such as consonants, verbs, plural, and more!
Whether as adults, university students, teens or children, practising with study exercises is a way to test yourself to know how far you’ve gone with the language. You can train yourself systematically by repetition. This means practising the Hausa language over and over again.
Using specific speaking tests to study is a great idea. You can use the speaking test to check your ability on different topics of what you’ve learnt.
As we’ve mentioned earlier, your dictionary should be your best friend when studying new languages. Hence, when you find a word or phrase difficult, you can always refer to the dictionary for help.
Children can practise with apps suitable for their learning and books that can help with identification, arts, and words. Some available apps can help them match words with objects.
University students can reach out to people that can help them with the course they find difficult. They can also make use of past exams and test questions for practice. Also, they can use the help of tutors to learn in between their classes outside the school learning system.
There are different online websites to get tutors, either for private or general Hausa language education. A good one is Superprof. Here, you can get Hausa tutors with years of experience at an affordable price with a free first lesson.
Explore Different Areas of the Culture
Explore the different areas of the language. The primary way to improve the language is to explore the northern culture. You can do this by taking trips with family or on your own. Other options include reading and watching videos on art and history.
With this, you will be able to relate what you’ve learnt to the northern culture, which helps you learn appropriately.
The different areas of the culture you can explore include
- Food
- Art
- Family titles
- Social gatherings
- Dressing
- History
When you understand the story behind their culture, it makes it easier to understand the use of the language. You’ll know when to use a word and when not.
Hausa is a Nigerian tribe known for fishing, hunting, agriculture, blacksmithing, salt mining and other traditional crafts. There are many things to pick up just by understanding the culture and history of the Hausa ethnic group.
Either Arabic, Spanish or other languages across the world, understanding cultures help you give the correct meaning to each word and term. At times, what a word or phrase means in English might not be the same in other languages.
Also, there are times you might encounter a word or phrase that isn’t in use at the time you’re learning. But understanding their history over the years will help you know the cause and if it is needed for your education.
There are also specific words you can understand only when you're accustomed to the northern culture—for instance, the use of proverbs and idioms.
Other Practice Methods
It’s important to know that you won’t be taught everything in a language school or university. Likewise, your tutor won’t teach you everything. Practising by yourself might be a way to catch up and learn ahead of the next class.
Chatting with others learners is an excellent way to catch up on the language. When you watch and hear people speak, you tend to grasp the language with time.
If you reside in northern states, especially the local areas, you can watch people around. But if you don’t, you can get videos online and probably download them for easy access.
Hausa natives do not only reside in the northern states. They also stay in other states of the country. You can make friends with native speakers in school, in your neighbourhood, or online.
You can engage them in conversation via texts, voice messages, and social events. That’s a good Hausa language education method.
The internet has different Hausa practice guides that you can easily download in PDF format. You can also print them out for practical usage if you want to.
In addition, listening to their songs and watching their movies are all cool ways of keeping up with language usage. Aside from learning in classes, university students can go on personal tours or organised school tours to learn about the northern and Islamic cultures.
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